Svetly Mys

Svetly Mys, the bright cape, is a headland on the northeastern corner of Issyk-Kul with a village, an old church and shoreline that drops into shallow water. Its fame rests on the Catalan Atlas of 1375, which marks a building on the northern shore of this lake and states that the relics of the Apostle Matthew are kept there, prompting a long search for an Armenian monastery under or beside the lake. Nothing conclusive has been found despite repeated underwater and land archaeology, and the claim remains open. The village itself is peaceful, with a nineteenth-century Orthodox church, orchards, and a shore that sees few visitors compared with the resort strip on the northern side. It is a stop for the story and the quiet rather than for anything on display.

Highlights

• The headland shore - a quiet stretch of eastern Issyk-Kul.
• The old church - the nineteenth-century Orthodox building in the village.
• Orchards and gardens - the settled farming landscape behind the shore.
• The lake view - water and the Terskey range across it.

When to go

May to September for warm weather and swimming. The eastern shore is greener and wetter than the west. Winter is cold and quiet, and most services close.

Before you go

There is no monastery to see and no site marking the legend; the story is the attraction and the evidence for it is thin. Facilities are minimal. The village is ordinary and there is little organised for visitors. It suits a slow half-day, not a special journey.

Nearby

Karakol lies south; Tyup is the nearest town.